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Corliss Home Security

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Corliss Expert Group in Home Security consists of dedicated experts working and doing research in home security to provide consumers with efficient security systems that help them save time and money.
Corliss security-reviews are developed with the goal of assisting consumers make wise decisions in spite of the conflicting information they get online. Visit: http://corlisssecurity.com/

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Corliss Home Security - Machine cracks Master locks in seconds

Security researcher and avid hacker Samy Kamkar has unveiled a small machine that can reportedly open a Master combination lock in an instant. Finally, something to help put to use those locks again that we forgot the combination to.

The so-called Combo Breaker which uses an Arduino and functions through a battery is very handy and can unlock a Master combination in less than a minute. It consists of a 3D-printed frame, an optical sensor, a rotor, a stepper motor which spins the dial and an Arduino chip to serve as its brains.

A detailed instruction has been published online, reported Corliss Home Security, along with a video to encourage people to assemble the Combo Breaker themselves. Every part of the machine is available online and can be purchased for a total of USD 100.

It takes around 5 minutes for the small machine to test and calculate the correct combination for a lock. But when it is already provided with the first digit of the right combination, it speeds up the process incredibly.

Just several weeks ago, Kamkar publicized his discovery on how to manually crack the combination of any Master lock using a design flaw of the lock and a calculator he made. He demonstrated that his method can effectively narrow down the number of possible combinations to just 8. This Combo Breaker machine is basically an automated version of that.

Kamkar's algorithm was apparently inspired by a previously published hack in Corliss Home Security which effectively reduces the possible combinations to just a hundred.

This is not the first time Kamkar's work has made it to the news though -- he has recently shown how to hack a drone and how to make the evercookie that's virtually impossible to delete. And back in 2005, he created a basically harmless virus in MySpace called "Samy worm", which spread to a million users in less than a day.

Corliss Home Security: Hackers can crash iOS devices using WiFi

Hacking is one of the well-known and threatening issues nowadays. Hackers can infiltrate even the biggest companies like Sony.

Series of denial of service (DoS) attacks recently happened to various organizations and companies' websites and their servers.

But this kind of attack doesn't only happen to websites, it is recently proven by the mobile security firm Skycure that it is possible to attack iOS devices.

Researchers from Skycure discovered by generating a doctored SSL certificate, attackers can regenerate a bug and cause apps that perform SSL communication to crash at will. As SSL is a security best practice and is utilized in almost all apps in the Apple app store, the attack surface is very wide. Any delay in patching the vulnerability could lead to a serious business impact: an organized denial of service (DoS) attack can lead to big losses.

The hack occurs through WiFi. If your iOS device connects to any unsecured WiFi hotspots, then you are a possible victim. In fact, even if you don't allow unsecured connections, you could still be a victim.

Skycure had previously revealed another iOS vulnerability called WiFiGate, wherein an attacker could force your iOS device to connect to their network.

If the recently discovered WiFi hack will be combined with WifiGate, the effect can be very dreadful to iOS users. It could create a "No iOS Zone", as Skycure calls it, a dead zone where all iOS devices are affected by the hack, rendering them useless.

Skycure said that a victim should get his/her device physically out of the range of attacking hotspot(s). The public should also keep in mind that a sophisticated attacker may be able to cover a large area.

Skycure is currently working with Apple to fix the vulnerabilities but until they do, you might want to keep a very close watch on suspicious Wi-Fi hotspots.

Corliss Expert Group in Home Security consists of dedicated experts working and doing research in home security to provide consumers with efficient security systems that help them save time and money. Corliss security-reviews are developed with the goal of assisting consumers make wise decisions in spite of the conflicting information they get online. We concentrate mainly on delivering substantial advice on the home-security system industry with the interests of the end-users always as the top priority.

Corliss Home Security: Smart lock 'Bolt' from Lockitron

Lockitron of Y Combinator fame has announced the launch of the USD 99 successor, named Bolt, to their keyless-entry device 3 years ago.

Lockitron's co-founder, Cameron Robertson, admitted that they have learned much from the issues they have to deal with during the product's last release. For instance, instead of using around 40 custom-made components, their team chose to just source high-quality ones. This resulted in significant price reduction -- from the original price of USD 179 to USD 99 -- and lower failure rate.

Robertson's team believed that they can create something with a bit more complex setup and be a hit. So they decided to return to the original plan of replacing the deadbolt instead of trying to create a universal device to fit over the existing deadbolts.

Bolt is capable of connecting to smartphones via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) which basically means you can unlock your door using an app or while walking up the steps. For those who intend to maximize the use of their unit, Lockitron recommends buying the USD 49 adapter that will support additional features like connecting to your router and sending you data no matter where you are. This could be useful for those times when you're running late and would want to let your guests in the house in the meantime. But seriously, who would want to do that?

This is certainly a big help for those who regularly hires help in the house as the Bolt also lets you give permission to a person for specific times of the day. Also, you can use SMS or email message to give your family an access to a lock -- no more need for a physical key. Though as Corliss Home Security mentioned, that's another security risk altogether.

A couple of years back, Lockitron has made waves when it announced its plans to build a smart lock with WiFi and Bluetooth capabilities so users can easily connect it online and control it remotely. But they had a rough start when their backers got anxious over missed shipping deadlines. They eventually came through with the WiFi-enabled gadget for the 10,000 backers of their crowdfunding campaign. But last week, it has announced it's retiring the original gadget and would instead start offering a Bluetooth-only smart lock named Bolt. For it to connect remotely on the Internet, they will offer a separate bridge (WiFi to Bluetooth).

Corliss Home Security noted that the shift was made probably because of WiFi's high energy requirements. Their use of Bridge will now remove the difficulty of managing power for WiFi while still giving users instant control over Bolt.

In this article we look at some Apple TV tips, as well as giving guidance on setting up the Apple TV and using the provided remote or other remote controls.

Of all the products that Apple makes, the least known is probably the Apple TV. Until recently Apple's set-top box was hidden away on the Apple Store in the iPod section, however, now the Apple TV got its own section of the store.

The lack of attention on Apple's part is probably not so surprising given that it is a product that Apple used to refer to as a hobby, but it's unfortunate because at £79 it's one of the best Apple products you can get for your money.

Apple's lack of attention to the Apple TV means that there is little guidance about the product and little in the way of instructions for using the device - and troubleshooting problems with the Apple TV. Apple does have an Apple TV support section on its website, but it only seems to touch on the basics.

Home Security Corliss Group Experts: Seven Tips on How to Make Your Home Wi-Fi Safer

Step 1. Changing the admin password
One of the most serious mistakes often made is using the default, out-of-box, admin password (consider the frequently used “admin:admin” and “1234”). If you have not already done so, we strongly recommend resetting the password to something more sophisticated.

Step 2. Disabling remote management
Usually producers enable only LAN-based router controls by default, but this is not always the case. Make sure that you check whether your router's control interface is available over the Web.

Step 3. Disabling Broadcast SSID
As a rule, a wireless router transmits your Wi-Fi network ID (the so-called SSID) to everyone. This may be changed at will by unchecking the corresponding box in the settings. Then your network will not be so easily hacked.

Step 4. Using reliable encryptionCybercriminals might use your home network for illicit activities and the police could end up on your doorstep! So we suggest enabling WPA2 encryption (WEP is not very reliable) and setting a stronger password for your Wi-Fi hotspot.

Step 5. UPnP et al.
Universal Plug and Play (UPnP), DLNA support (Digital Living Network Alliance) and the like, are better off disabled if not in use; you run a lower risk of being affected by vulnerabilities in software using these features.

Step 6. Updating built-in software
We suggest using the most up-to-date firmware from vendors' official websites: they frequently patch vulnerabilities and mistakes, which can open the point of entry to hackers willing to compromise your network.

Step 7. Not just the router
Absolutely 'ultimate' protection does not exist, as the years have proved. A sensible approach to router settings, using strong passwords and encryption and timely updates are the keys.

Home Security Corliss Group Experts: Offers tips for keeping burglars at bay

Three recent incidents where burglars kicked in homeowners' doors have experts offering advice for ways to keep thieves out of your house.

Sunday, News4Jax shared the story of a man and woman whose home was burglarized while the couple was at the hospital, welcoming their first baby into the world.

The thieves got in by kicking in the door, stealing appliances, televisions and even baby clothes.

A city crime map of the couple's neighborhood showed there were 22 residential and commercial burglaries within a half-mile radius of the couple's home.

Experts say locking a door might seem like the common sense thing to do to keep people out, but oftentimes it's not enough.

Seliger said adding a few extra things to a door can make a huge difference, starting with a door strike plate. It's designed to better protect the bolt from any friction, but according to Seliger, most doors come with a tiny strike plate with really small screws. For $11, homeowners can get a heavy duty strike plate with longer screws, and for $35 a door jamb reinforcer, which is even better.

“Kicking in the door, you'd have to take almost the door from here to here, frame kicked in, as opposed to just a couple of inches,” Seliger said.

Seliger said it's also important to have a deadbolt that's made of steel and to be sure whoever installs it makes sure there's enough room for the deadbolt to fully extend into the door frame.

“(If the deadbolt isn't fully extended), if anyone gets a screwdriver and gets into your frame and gets the end of the bolt, they push it right back and they're into your house,” Seliger warned.

Seliger said homeowners can also invest in a Medeco lock and key, which costs a little more than $200. A standard key's cuts are all the same with different heights, but a Medeco key has cuts that go left, right and straight across, making it nearly impossibly to pick.

Seliger's company offers free home security chek-ups that include checking doors, windows, locks and keys. For more information or to request a check-up, call 904-398-1646. The business is located at 3861 Hendricks Ave. in Jacksonville.

News4Jax crime and safety analyst Gil Smith said when going out of town, it's important not to make that public and to always have someone keep an eye on the house.

6. At night, keep your garage and the path to your home well-lit. Trim the landscaping and make sure there are no areas for someone to easily hide.

7. To avoid being surprised, look around and make sure that no one followed you into the garage before stepping out of your car.

8. Get involved in Neighborhood Watch programs. They work! Get to know your neighbors. Report suspicious people to the police.

9. Make sure you have high-security locks on all exterior doors. Use high-security locks on desks and cabinets. Purchase a safe for keeping valuables, records and keepsakes.

10. Make sure no one can copy your house key(s) without your knowledge and permission.

Corliss Home Security Tech Pros and Cons: Amazon Echo

Just in time for Christmas, Amazon has announced its very own voice-controlled system that functions as a smart virtual assistant and music player.

Amazon is expected to offer Echo to consumers for a couple hundred bucks, but only to those who had already signed up on the waiting list. As of today, Echo is only available by invitation and there were no early models handed out to tech journalists for actual review. Nevertheless, Corliss Home Security got hold of the supposed functions and features of the device.

Echo is a sleek cylindrical gadget with 7 microphones, built-in speakers and capability to connect to the web. It’s pegged as a very smart home gadget that can sync and control all the various smart devices in your household through issuing voice commands.

It’s a really cool way to connect various gadgets of your futuristic house. For instance, you can tell Echo you’re going out so as soon as you step out, the lights will automatically turn off and the doors will lock. Also, if you really need help to remember when you ran out of milk and eggs, Echo can also record reminders like chores and shopping lists (that you can just as easily do with a post-it) and then read it back to you at the right time. You can even instruct Echo to download/upload files using the cloud, and play your favorite playlist while it’s going at it.

For all the geeky functions and cool factor, they conveniently forgot to describe how you will be certain that your info and privacy is protected while using it. You’d think paying a couple hundred would be enough price for living in the future, but as it turns out, there’s another more costly catch: your privacy.

According to the description Corliss Home Security got, Echo’s microphones are not always connected to the web; it only turns the mic on once you say the wake word “Amazon” or “Alexa”. Basically, they are only supposed to make connections to the Internet once the wake-up and command words are said. Even then, users are told not to worry as there are safety protocols to protect them, or so they say.

With the expected trove of data Amazon will gather from this, it only takes a program to piece together all those information about you — and you didn’t even realize what you’ve given away. For instance, asking what’s the weather like in Paris, Echo can remember that and assume that you’re planning to go there on said date.

Tech companies will of course downplay the security risks and claim that they can be totally trusted. “All data securely salted and hashed in our private server located in the Bahamas or something.”

The booming tech industry is herding consumers to fixate on the ‘good’ side of these innovations and ignore the tradeoff for those supposed convenience and ‘free services’. You’re surrounded by all this cool high-tech gadgets, sure. But you’re also exposing yourself to the dangers of being listened and watched to at any given time. Just think of this: that smartphone has a GPS that surely comes handy when you want to find a nice restaurant nearby but it also means it’s easy to track you down any time. And that tablet you’re using to chat/Skype with? Yeah, it can be spied on.

“We’ve dramatically increased the access to our personal lives. Before, you had to break into someone’s house to see what they’re doing,” said Andrew Sudbury, from the consumer privacy industry.

And as if the privacy concern is not bad enough, it clearly says on the Echo website: “Always getting smarter. The more you use Echo, the more it adapts to your speech, patterns, vocabulary, and personal preferences.” Yikes. The convenience is nice and all but I don’t think I want a machine with a learning capability anywhere near me.

Seems like our only safeguard is to turn them off — if they can truly be turned off, that is.

Innovation and design never run out of style in today’s industrial products, particularly those intended for personal or family use. Here are some of the latest home security gadgets available on the market today that prove the point:

1. A Virtual Lock

One of the smart home locks available in the market (as shown in the photo above) looks like any normal front-door bolt lock at first glance. But with a mere touch, it can unlock or lock the door using virtual keys, whether permanent or temporary. It can also monitor entries and exits into your home via remote control and transmit activity alerts using the Kevo app which is programmed for day-and-night cycles. Best of all, in case the lock fails to open electronically, you have a normal key to your rescue. This lock can also interphase with other systems, such as Home Depot’s Wink and Staples Connect.

2. Canary Video Monitor

And while inside or outside your home or your office, you may feel the need to monitor your surrounding security status any time of the day or night. Canary Video Monitor helps you do that using motion, temperature, humidity and air quality sensors, including night vision HD camera, microphone and speakers. This intelligent gadget can analyze data to alert you of any specific emergency or dangerous situation. It can eventually learn to adapt itself to the family’s habits and may appear to be idle when all is well. Now you know why the name Canary was chosen.

Corliss Expert Group Home Security: How to Secure Your Home without Spending Too Much

Imagine if there were no burglar or criminals who threaten the safety of our homes; we will be surprised how much savings we would have on several things we do to secure ourselves and our loved ones. We would not need fences, gates with locks, doors locks, window grills, CCTV cams, perimeter lighting, shotguns and baseball bats. The cost of maintaining these things can run up to the entire cost of building another room or, in some cases, a whole new house.

The rationale for home security is the same for national security. A nation maintains an army whether it has enemies or not; so, whether burglars will come or not, we have to prepare for the eventuality. Hence, we end up spending for something we might never put into the actual use it was intended for. You buy a pistol and when a burglar breaks in you fire the gun either to scare or disable the intruder. We hope we will never have to use these things; but we still buy them for the peace of mind that comes from knowing we can secure or protect our family and home.

Home security need not be an expensive undertaking. Here are 5 tips on how you can set for yourself a home security strategy without having to spend so much:

Security is primarily a state of mental preparedness.

A lot of people do not buy guns or CCTV cameras and are able to sleep soundly because they do not depend totally on themselves and their abilities or on technology. A person who has a positive outlook or a prayerful attitude may appear fatalistic, especially in areas where lack of home security is suicide. Yet, in reality, even during the time of war, a lot of our brave soldiers felt secure because they had prepared their minds to accept the dangers as well as the consequences of facing them. People who commonly see pickpockets in buses or holdups in dark alleys have set their minds to either run or give up their wallet in case they run into a similar situation.

Preparing yourself for what could happen, like blowing a whistle or ringing a loud bell during an intrusion, may be all that is necessary to prevent burglary.

Engage others

But what if you leave the house and nobody is looking out for you? There are neighbors you can call upon to house-sit or watch over your home from a distance. It is essential to keep good relations with your neighbours or to have a strong and effective neighbourhood association in your area. The police may not be as dependable as a nearby group of families you can count on for help and you can help as well. Some areas actually have roving residential members who take turns scoping the neighbourhood round-the-clock. It is an old-school approach but a cheap and effective way of keeping bad elements away.

Design you home for maximum security protection

Before even buying all those expensive gadgets, consider the lines of defenses you can put up to, first, discourage and then, second, prevent illegal entry into your home. A high solid fence is not advisable as you cannot see who is behind it. A see-through or low fence is much better. Having high fences and CCTV cams are not always the better alternative as they lessen your real-time response to any emergency. Having to look at a monitor inside a room or even in your iPad will mean seconds lost when the burglar may already be inside your home. Having a low fence and a lawn between it and the house will allow you to see any movements easily.

Of course, it is a great help to have several cameras showing your whole perimeter area. But having big wide glass windows with iron-grills will also give you that advantage of a clear view from your living room and provide you enough space or leeway to protect yourself as you see fit. You can either run upstairs into a built-in secure panic- room inside your bedroom or out through a small escape back-gate where you can at least call for help. The latter, of course, is the cheaper alternative; but a panic room need not be expensive. It could be small space you can build behind a cabinet or closet where you can hide and call for help via phone.

Prepare for the worst scenario

Knowing what could happen can provide peace of mind as well. But, we have to admit that people are worriers, in general. And so, many spend so much on home security and still do not sleep soundly. What is the use of having all the protection when you cannot have peace of mind?

Remember, any security protection can be breached. Any CCTV camera can be disconnected or even disabled just by covering it. We know that from Mission Impossible. Any iron grill or steel door can be broken into because all it takes is a key to unlock the padlock or a saw. Any high fence can be scaled by a determined burglar. So, what is the alternative? Let them come and prepare to protect yourself. How? What is your last line of defense?

The answer is obvious to many – they buy guns or tazers. Others learn self-defense. It is each person’s call. But having a connection to public emergency support (911, police or neighborhood group) can provide enough deterrent and protection for most instances. In case the burglary or the crime has been done, you can still catch the perpetrator or recover whatever you lost if people come around to help you in time.

Be creative

Break-ins are often done by creative professional criminals. The amateurs may also pose a threat; but they often target small stuff, like stealing a phone or an appliance they can carry. The rest may have vehicles to cart away bigger stuff and even people.

Prepping your home to counteract these pernicious social elements can be a great challenge that need not be expensive. A friend once used empty sardine cans put on top of one another to rattle anyone who might topple them in the dark. Or having a bright light that can be triggered by a nylon string pulled across the lawn or before a backdoor will give enough security defense.

In the end, home security is not a person or a family’s exclusive concern. It is a concern of society and the government as a whole. Perhaps, the best home security people can provide for themselves is to teach their children good morals and values so that more people will be law-abiding; which means fewer people will be a threat to security. In the long run, good education protects more than all the security measures we can ever think of.

Corliss Expert Group in Home Security - Systems Reviews 2014

Home Security Systems Reviews 2014

The security industry is highly competitive, from local mom and pop companies to international giants. It is a relatively easy industry to enter, but a very hard one to offer a consistently great product and service over time, especially with new technologies being released every day. It has become difficult to keep up with all the changes and wrap your head around the latest and greatest house alarm offerings. With so many to choose from and so many things to consider, how do you know which home alarm system is right for you? Our home security systems reviews cover the top contenders and bring you our findings in our regularly updated reviews.

Best Security System Awards

The winners of our coveted best alarm system awards are listed below. For an alphabetical listing by Security Company, please see the list in the next section.
• 1st Place Gold, Winner
• 2nd Place Silver, Runner-Up
• 3rd Place Bronze

Reviews of the Top 9 Home Security Systems for 2014

We evaluate the largest names in the security industry based on our research, and give you a concise summary of their offerings and pros and cons for each.

Click on a company name in the list below to jump straight down to its security system review (they are listed by ranking):
1. FrontPoint
2. Protect America
3. LifeShield
4. SafeMart
5. SimpliSafe
6. Guardian Protection
7. Vivint
8. ADT
9. AlarmForce

Don’t see the company you’re looking for? Comment below with the security company you’d like reviewed and we’ll get right on it!

To help you to choose the right home alarm system for your needs, we have put together a home security systems comparison table that highlights the main features of each system along with the pros and cons of each. There is also a rankings table so you can see the score that we assigned to each company. We have also made a quick video to help you understand the rigorous process we use to pick our winner.

We have a listing of terminologies that will help you evaluate the best home alarm system for your needs that appears below the comparison table, as well as at the bottom of this page.

Do you have people on your team who are so amazing, you wish you had an extra hour of their time every day? With technology you can have exactly that.

The following upgrades can save anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour EVERY SINGLE DAY. Even the smallest improvements, just a few seconds here and there, really add up when they are repeated over and over throughout the work week.

Tom's Fantastic Floating Home review – the inventor who does it the hard way

Tom Lawton is an inventor, and a father. He has already fathered two children – Barney and Rufus. And he has already invented a few inventions, like a recordable alarm clock, a 360-degree lens for a smartphone camera, and honking handlebars ("handlebars that honk", he explains) for a child's scooter.

Now he's inventing a boat. Well, boats have been invented obviously. He gets that. But then he's making some modifications, turning it into a houseboat/floating experimental test bed … I'm not sure what the hell it is, to be honest. Tom's head, turned inside out, floating on the water, something like that? They're calling it Tom's Fantastic Floating Home (Sunday, Channel 4).

Compared to other home-security review firms, ours is comprised of home-security experts who share a common interest and many years of industry track-record. The whole team is trained and motivated to deliver unbiased reviews of the best security systems and submitting recommendations that consumers can totally rely on. The Corliss home-security team is primarily focused on giving consumers the assistance they need to select a security system they can completely trust to keep their families secure.

Before we encourage consumers to buy a home-security system, we tell them to educate themselves first by providing them with the most comprehensive security-system reviews, especially from the experts so they can enter into the best deals available. Our main objective rests on protecting consumer interest and acknowledging firms that provide excellent home-security services.

Three decades after the first cellphone went on sale - the $4,000 Motorola DynaTAC 8000X "Brick" - half the world remains unconnected. For some it costs too much, but up to a fifth of the population, or some 1.4 billion people, live where "the basic network infrastructure has yet to be built," according to a Facebook white paper last month.

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